Blood Orange, Edamame, and Cashew Salad

Did you know that there are quite a few profane cabbage jokes?

I'm having incredible writers block lately (perhaps because I'm writing my thesis and weekly papers for my Italian class, English class, and Internship), and I couldn't think of any way to talk about this salad.

Then I decided to look up cabbage jokes since this salad is made with napa and purple cabbage.

This salad is crunchy and refreshing. It is loaded with protein from the edamame and cashews, crunchy veggies, and healthy fats from the vinaigrette. For a complete dinner, it would pair wonderfully with grilled salmon, chicken, or tofu and rice or quinoa.

1 orange bell pepper, diced - you can use any color, I thought red was pretty

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup chopped cashews, toasted

large handful of cilantro, chopped

Ginger Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Ginger Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil - I used blood orange olive oil

1 TBS toasted sesame oil - try not to substitute!

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1 TBS honey (or agave nectar/maple to make it vegan)

1/2 TBS dijon mustard

3/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1/8-1/4 tsp powdered ginger)

zest from 1 blood orange

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. To defrost edamame quickly, place frozen edamame in a colander and rinse with warm water (I actually rinsed a few times while I prepared the rest of the veggies), Let drain. Alternatively, you can place in a colander and let them reach room temp without the water.

2. In a large bowl, combine both cabbages, edamame, orange slices, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, and cashews, set aside.

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad (I didn’t use all of it) and toss until combined.

Storage Salad is best if eaten immediately, but it stores well in fridge for up to one week (cabbage is very hearty). HOWEVER, the cashews become softer and the green onions may get bitter, so I recommend storing them separately, if possible.